Schumer fumes over postponed Iran briefing from White House
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer at the U.S. Capitol on June 17. Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday accused the Trump administration of obstructing Congress's access to critical information about the U.S. attack on Iran.
Why it matters: The administration postponed a Tuesday afternoon classified briefing about Iran for senators, heightening tensions between the White House and Democrats over war powers.
- The briefing was pushed to Thursday to allow for the attendance of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, both of whom are in Europe.
- The postponement was "evasive, it's derelict," Schumer steamed to reporters at the Capitol.
- "They're bobbing and weaving and ducking — senators deserve full transparency," he added.
The big picture: Many senators are waiting on the briefing on Iran before making a decision on whether to support a war powers resolution, which is set to come to the Senate floor later this week.
- Schumer argued that having Hegseth and Rubio attend the briefing won't allow lawmakers to get additional information, and that senators need "real information."
- Hegseth and Rubio are "secretaries and top people and very good at political talking points," he said.
Zoom in: The minority leader also complained about the information he was given privately ahead of the strike, a frustration that Axios first reported.
- Schumer said he wasn't told which country the U.S. was carrying out military actions against, and that officials declined to give the Senate Democratic leader any more details.
- He also publicly requested an immediate classified briefing for himself on Monday. Schumer said no such briefing has happened.
The other side: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a Fox News appearance Monday that the White House made an effort to give top Democrats a heads up about the strikes — even though it wasn't required to.
- "The White House was not obligated to call anyone because the president was acting within his legal authority under Article II of the Constitution ... we gave these calls as the courtesy."
Go deeper: Senate Democrats hunker down ahead of war powers confrontation
